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Friday, December 28, 2012

Fire It Up! A Writer's Guide to Firefighting Write Up

Fire It Up! A Writer's Guide to Firefighting – presented by
Robin Widmar

PPW Write Brain – November 20, 2012

Article by Cathy Dilts

Robin Widmar spoke about firefighting at the November Write
Brain, with the goal of sparking the imagination while keeping writers grounded
in fact.

“Firefighting is a complex subject,” Robin told us. “Every
fire is different. Every fire department is different. Every fire fighter is
different. Do your research!”

With a fifteen-year career as a firefighter, Robin has an AAS
degree in Fire Science Technology. She covers the Falcon Fire Protection
District for The New Falcon Herald.
Robin went to her first fire at the age of four, and her father, stepfather,
and great-great-grandfather were firefighters.

Robin finds that fictional depictions of fires often miss
the mark. Giving numerous examples from television, movies, and novels of what
works, and what doesn’t, she cautioned the Write Brain audience that “entertainment
rarely meets reality.”

Sometimes Hollywood gets it right. Robin cited scenes from
the television program Chicago Fire
showing an exhaust hose on a fire truck inside the fire station. That was a
realistic touch she said firefighters would appreciate. The trucks must have
their exhaust vented to the outdoors because the station living quarters are basically
attached to a garage. Another scene aimed a camera through the front windshield
of a fire engine to show what the ride through city streets is really like.

On the downside, she said firefighters would not dress as casual
as the characters on the television show. The tight tank tops, unbuttoned
shirts, and sexy poses would not be found in a real fire station.

To encourage writers to get their fire related scenes
correct, Robin presented Five Myths of Firefighting.

Myth One: Fires depicted in fiction are rarely hot and
smoky.

Reality: She showed us pictures from movies, and from actual
fires. The myth shows neatly spaced patches of fire, great visibility, and a
firefighter not wearing an air mask. Reality is that visibility can be nearly zero
due to thick, dark smoke, and the temperature can be 1000 degrees at the
ceiling level.

Robin explained rudimentary fire science to us, while
cautioning us that the subject is incredibly complex. She told us a story
involving her training as a volunteer firefighter, when her chief told her to
spray water on a burning Volkswagen as a lesson. Robin did, and the engine
flared into white sparks and flame. Old VW engines were composed of a metal
that reacted with water when it burned. Someone not trained in the science
behind firefighting might not know that some metals are as much a source of
fire fuel as wood, gas, or paper.

Fire dynamics are dramatically different today than a
century ago. Robin asked us to consider the time period and setting of our
fictional fires. There are new synthetic materials inside houses, contained in
furnishings, carpet, electronics, and even building materials, that put off
toxic gasses when burning. Robin explained how modern floor joists and rafters may
be built of lightweight materials that burn more quickly than solid wood
components used in older structures.

Myth Two: The
Hollywood image of fire is of bright, uniformly shaped and sized flames leaping
out of windows.

Reality: Robin showed us photos of structure fires. One of
the “reality” photos was a house with thick smoke rolling out of the upper
level. Firefighters must learn how to read fires and smoke in order to know
what kind of fire conditions they are dealing with.

Myth Three: Cars
explode on impact, or easily catch fire.

Reality: The reality is that cars rarely explode or burst
into flames in a crash. To achieve the Hollywood effect, cars are rigged with
explosives, and detonated to get that special effect.

Myth Four: Arson
fires are always successful.

Reality: While many arsons do succeed, the reality is that some
arsonists don’t always understand fire dynamics. Fuel, oxygen, and heat must be
in proper proportion. Robin described an attempted arson fire where the building
was too air tight to provide the oxygen needed for the fire to progress. Firefighters
found gasoline soaked carpets that had not ignited.

Robin said that investigating a fire is a topic that could
fill an entire talk. She touched briefly on several aspects of fire
investigation.

- Arson is a crime that destroys evidence as it progresses.

- Who investigates fires? It depends on the jurisdiction,
since some fire departments have their own investigators, while others use
investigators from the local police or sheriff’s department. The Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) will investigate fires involving federal
property. ATF will also assist local departments when requested, particularly
when a department lacks investigative resources.

- Fire behaves in specific and predictable ways, which helps
fire investigators determine the cause and where the fire started.

- Dogs can be trained to detect accelerant use. Crime labs
can analyze samples for the presence of an accelerant.

Myth Five: Firefighters
are flawed but attractive and buff men and women.

Reality: Robin did not dispel all of this myth. Firefighters
carry fifty pounds of basic gear, and can be loaded down with an additional
fifty pounds of equipment. They run up ladders and stairs carrying all that
weight. They do need to be buff. And of course, like all humans, they are
flawed.

The reality is that firefighters tend to be pranksters and
jokers, to relieve the stress of the job. They come from all walks of life, and
deal with the same issues as everyone else. They are devoted to their families,
communities, and crews. Firefighters may be saints or sinners, just like the
general population. There is no stereotypical firefighter.

At the end of her presentation, Robin reviewed some terminology.
Much depends on what part of the country your story is set in.

Sometimes
the driver of the fire truck is called a driver engineer, sometimes a
driver operator, and in some areas, a chauffeur. Do your research.

The
correct term is firefighter, not fireman. Unless, of course, your story
takes place in a time period when women were not typically working in this
field.

A fire
station is not the same thing as a fire department.

There
are many different types of vehicles. “Fire truck” is a generic term
applied to different kinds of vehicles. Depending on their function, the
size of the community, and the area of the country, there are fire engines
(also called pumpers) that pump water, and ladder trucks equipped with
aerial ladders, ground ladders, and other equipment.

Not
all fire vehicles are red. Robin showed photos of red, red and white, blue
and white, and yellow vehicles. Again, it depends on the particular
location in which your story takes place. Do your research.

Firefighters
wear self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) which hold compressed air,
not pure oxygen. Think about it. Oxygen is fuel for fire, and a tank of
oxygen would be incredibly dangerous.

When Robin was an active firefighter, she achieved the rank
of driver engineer. She spoke with enthusiasm about driving the fire truck
through busy traffic en route to an alarm. After attending Robin’s
presentation, I believe that firefighting is more of a calling than a career.

Robin’s knowledge and experience would fill several Pikes
Peak Writers talks. Let’s hope she finishes her Firefighting for Writers book
soon!

About the Author:Cathy Dilts has a short story set to appear in the April
2013 issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Her day job as an environmental
scientist provides fodder for fiction by the shovelful. In addition to short
stories, she also writes cozy murder mystery. Her novel Stone Cold Dead
is under contract with Five Star Publishing. In her spare time, she enjoys
raised bed gardening, which her husband claims look the perfect size for
burying bodies, while reminding her that you can’t get rid of the bones.

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